Blank or sheet feeding mechanism



F. W. LEV. BLANK 0R SH EETFEE-DING MEQHANIS M. APPLICATIONFILEDSEPT.13,19H-

Patented ma 10;1921.

2 SH EETSSHEET lmwwbm/ F. W. LEV.

BLANK 0R SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION m en SEPT-.13, 1917.

. 1,377,841w PafentedMay 10,1921.

PATENT YATES FRANK W. LEV, O15 ASTORIA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 LILLIAN SWAINSON ESGOBALES.

BLANK OR SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM.

Application filed September 13, 1917.

To all 107mm 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK l/V. Lnv, a citizen of the United States, residing at Astoria, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Blank or Sheet Feeding ll lechanisms, of which the following is a specification. f i

This invention relates to improvements in mechanism for feeding blanks or sheets from a pile. pertaining more particularly to that type of mechanisms wherein the lowermost sheet or blank is being fed or advanced.

The object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for this purpose which is simple and eflicient in operation, durable in construction, and which can be manufactured at relatively low cost.

A further object is the provision of simple and ellicient means for restraining sheet advance to limit the feeding to asingle sheet, and including simple 5 and ieiiicient mechanism for adjustably supporting the restraining means.

To these and other ends, the nature of which will be readily understood as the invention is hereinafter disclosed, said invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 1

in the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts in each of the views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the feeding mechanism constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, certain guides being; shown in section.

i Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view.

4- is a section taken on line 14 of Fig. 3. a

10 designates a frame of suitable construction, said frame having partitions 11 adapted to produce, with the side walls of the frame, a blank-receivingcompartment 12, this compartment being; of suitable length and width and having an open top. If desired rods 13 may be projected upwardly from the tops of the partitions and side walls to increase the capacity of the compartment. i

a The bottom of the compartment is pro- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1t), 1921.

Serial No. 191,232.

vided by a plate-like member 1 1 leading from the rear of the compartment toward and into proximity to a feed roll 15 operative within the compartment adjacent the compartments advance end, member 14 and roll 15 practically forming the bottom of the compartment.

Member 14; carries a blank restraining clevice which, in the embodiment shown, comprises a pointed rod 16which may be a needle-supported below the plane of member 14 and extending upwardly through an opening 14; in member 14:, the pointed end of the rod or needle projecting upwardly a distance sutlicient to cause it to penetrate several of the blanks or sheets located in the compartment. As shown, the rod or needle is located adjacent the rear end of the compartment. The rod or needle is supported by a clamping structure comprising a member 17 secured to and projecting below member 14, and a collar 18 mounted on member 17 member 17 may be considered as a stud. As shown in Fig. 1, the outer face of the stud and the inner face of the collar are of dissimilar configuration, thereby providing space intermediate these faces, this space being adapted to receive a rod or needle 16, being clamped in position through the tightening of threaded member 18 which acts.

to provide movement of the sleeve in a direction to clamp the rod or needle against the stud. Since stud 17 is fixed, and the rod or needle is clamped at a predetermined point of the stud face, it will be readily'un derstood that the rod or needle can be readily secured in position and adjusted thereon or removed therefrom; at the same time opening 1 1 may be of a size but slightly larger than that of the rod, thereby tending to reduce the possibility of springing the rod or needle under the blank feeding action as presently described. p

19 indicates a pair of feed rolls positioned above and below the line of feed of the blank or sheet from the compartment, these rolls being adapted to be rotated constantly and forming the entrance: to-what may be considered as a delivery chute into which the blank or sheet is to be introduced and through which it is to be passed. In Figs. 1 and 8, this chute is shown as having a curved wall 20 located in the path of theadvancing blank or sheet and which tends to direct the advance end of the latter downward, thus providing a construction adapted to shift the direction of movement ofthe sheet from the horizontal to the vertical, a change of direction which is desirable in feeding blanks or sheets for many purposes. Obviously, this curved wall may be omitted if desired and rolls 19 may serve to feed the blank on to any suitable structure as for instance a horizontally-traveling conveyer, this latter arrangement being a well-known structure in use with constantunoving feed rolls of this particular type.

lVhile feed rolls 19 are adapted to be rotated continuously, feedroll 15 is operated intermittently. This intermittent ac tivity of feed roll 15 permits the latter to serve as a timing element in the delivery of blanks through the fact that the beginning of each movement oi: roll 10 may be controlled.

This intermittent movement of roll 15 may be provided in any desired manner, a simple mechanism for this purpose being indicated in Fig. 1 wherein 21 indicates a constantly driven shaft carrying a wheel 22 having a wrist pin 23 to which is connected one end of a pitman 24 having its opposite end carrier by a wrist pin 25 projecting from a slide 26, the latter being mounted in brackets guides 270 secured to the outer face of one of the side walls of the frame. This arrangement operates to convert the rotating motion of wheel 22 into a reciprocating mo tion of slide 26. 7 Slide 26 has itslower edge provided with teeth 26 adapted toengage the teeth of a gear 27 loosely mounted on stub shaft 15 projecting from feed roll'15, said stub shaft having a ratchet wheel 28 keyed .or'otherwise secured thereto outside of gear 27. Gear 27 carries a pawl 29 adapt- .edto engage the teeth of ratchet wheel28, a spring 30 beingemployed to tend to retain the pawl. in engagement with the toothed face of the ratchet.

As shown Fig. 2 shaft 21 and the shafts of rolls 19 may be operatively connected by a suitable drive connection, indicated as a sprocket chain 31, thus permitting shaft 21 to become the drive shaft of the feeding mechanism, shaft 21, in such case, being driven from a suitable source.

As will be seen, slide-261mg a length of movement determined by movements of wrist pin 23, the movement of the slide rowiththe-latter. ,As 'a result ,feed roll 15 will be moved counterclockwise in Fig. .3, and since sald roll is in contact wlth the lowermost sheet or blank, thefriction resulting from the weight or pressure of the superposed blanks on to the lower blank will cause -wheel 28 without causing corresponding movement of feed roll 15.

By thisarrangement feed roll 15 is moved countonclockwise during half the revolution of shaft 21, remaining freefrom slide operation during the remaining half, the slight variation in this respect which may be provided by the relative position of the nose of the pawl and ratchet tooth at the time of shift being immaterial. Since the movement of feed roll 15 is sufficient to advance the forward edge of the blank or sheet into engagement with rolls l9 and the latter provide a positive blank advancing instrumentality, the feed inactively of feed roll 15 in the reverse direction is immaterial.

It is preferred that the peripheral speed of rolls 19 be in excess of that of roll 15, so that after roll 15 has advanced the sheet into engagement with rolls 19, the latter will increase the speed of travel of the blank and thus withdraw it from the compartment more rapidly. This action is made possible by the fact that the form of connection betweenshaft 15 and gear 27 is such that roll may have its peripheral speed increased to that of the feed rolls 19 during the advancing movement of the sheet or blank without affecting the general operation, such increase of speed offeed roll 15 simply tending to advance ratchet wheel 28 relative to the nose of the pawl. I

It will be understood of course that since rolls 19 are ,locatedin proximity to the advance end of the compartment, the movementof the advancing sheet or blank from its position within the compartment into engagement with these rolls may be of comparatively short length. This permits of the location of feed roll 15 at the advance end ofthe' compartment, and also permits of the use ofthe particular form of connections indicated without the necessity of producing Va bulky'and cumbersome structure,

the length of a stroke of slide 26 being comparatively short and permitting its production by the use of a wheel 22 of comparatively small diameter.

Furthermore, this particular arrangement provides an additional advantage in that at the beginning of the movement of feed roll 15 the peripheral speed of this roll ire I 28 is passing a dead center and hence producinga relatively slow advancing move 1 ent to slide 26. As wrist pin 23 continues its travel, the speed of advance oi the slide increases until the pin reaches the point shown in Fig. 1, at which time the maximum peripheral speed of feed roll is had, this peripheral speed decreasing as the slide approaches the extreme of its movement in this direction, By locating feed rolls 19 and feed roll 15 so that roll 15 will travel an angular distance sutlicient toiintroduce the blank or sheet into engagement with rolls 19 while wrist pin 23 is approaching-the position shown in Fig. 1, the starting of the blank from its position at the bottom of the pile may be made gentle and its speed gradually increased until it reaches rolls 19 which then continue the movement of the sheet or blank at the same or an increased speed without ailecting the general feed operation and return of the parts by the return stroke of slide 26.

its will be seen, the combined bottom of the compartment provided by the support 14 and roll 15 is of such formation and arrangement that the roll provides a rolling support at the forward end of the pile, the rear portion of the pile and of the advancing sheet being supported by support it. By this arrangement the length of advancing movement of roll 15 provided by the ad vancing movement of pitman 2e can be completed before the blank has advanced to a position where it will leave said roll. As a result the structure will deliver the advance edge of the blank to rolls 19 at the high speed and roll 15 may continue its movements under the action of the advancing; pitman without liability of affecting the succeeding blank, roll 15 decreasing its speed prior to the complete passage or" the blank from contact therewith so as to practically exhaust the advancing action provided by he advancing pitman before the surface of the roll is again positively advanced by the succeeding advancing movement of the pitman.

.eiswill be seen, the general construction is exceedingly simple and at the same time highly efficient. But few operating, elements are required and these are of simple and comparatively inexpensive form.

@bviously, the advantage resulting from feeding from the bottom of a pile instead of from the top-thereby permitting replenishment of the pile at willand the ability to feed the sheets without an abrupt drawing action at the start of feed movement without change in general position of the feeding element, coupled with the ability to provide for comparatively rapid movement of the sheet, produce positive advantages in constructions of this type. And

lVhile I have herein shown and described one way in which the invention may be provided, it will be readily understood that changes modificatf ns therein as may be found desirable or necessary in meeting the various conditions of service in which the pres it invention may be employed, and l .lore desire to be understood as re erving the rig chances or modification therein as maybe found necessary or desirable in so far as the same mayfall within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the aecompanyingclaims.

l laving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, is:

1. In mechanism feeding blanks or sheets from the bottom of a pile and in combination, a blank and advancing strumentality for delivering a blank or sheet the pile, aid instrumentality inl ding a stationary supporting member for pile of blanks, and means carried b said her and adapted to engage a plurality lowermost blanks or sheets from the 3 restraining; said sheets against adg; movement, said being inefrective to prevent advance of the lowermost .cnk or sheet under the o oration of tho means of the i 'umentality,

4 means comprising a stud of substan circular contour projecting downward y from said member: a sleeve positionable oi the stud, and pointed rod or needle adap cd to be clamped by said stud and sleeve and project above the top plane of said member.

a, mechanism for tl eedingg blanks or sheets rem the bottom of a pile and in combination, a blank segregating and advancinstrumcntali f r dc i. a blank or sheet from the A le, sau, istrumentality stationery supporting member le L blanks, and means cairie 4- I. i thel ted b0 engage a 2 sheets sheets means .i'flOSi; blanks or L restraining said against advancing movement, said being ine'fiective to prevent advance of the lowermost blank or sheet under the operation or the advancing means of the instrumentality said restraining means comprisa stud of substantially circular contour projecting downwardly from said member,

rality of ;l from the o it to make any and all such a sleeve positionable on the stud, and a pointed rod orneedle adapted to be clamped by said stud and sleeve and projecting above the top plane of said member the external configuration of the stud differing from the internal configuration of the sleeve to produce a relationship therebetween adapted to receive the rod or needle and permit clamping thereof.

3. In mechanism for feeding sheets from a pile, a frame, a holder for a pile of sheets supported by the frame, a fixed support for one end of the pile, said fixed support having a downward inclination to facilitate the feeding of the sheets, a single feed roller journaled in the frame near the lower end of the fixed support and forming a support for the other end of the pile, a pair of cooperating feed rollers journaled in the frame and adapted to receive sheets fed by the single feed roller an operating shaft journaled in saidframe, a wrist pin located eccentrically on one end of said shaft, bearings in the frame, a rack slidable in the bearings, a direct connection between the rack and the wrist pin, so that rotation of the shaft willreciprocate the rack a pinion engaging the rack and loosely mounted on the singlefeed roller a pawl on the pinion, a ratchet engaged by said pawl and mounted on the feed roller, the construction being such that the reciprocating motion of the rack in one direction will rotate said feed roller while the reverse motion of the rack will be lnoperative on said roller, and means connecting the operat ng shaft and the cooperating feed rollers for. continuously rotating the cooperating feed rollers to feed sheets delivered thereto by the single feed roller.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK W; LEV. 

